| ACTUAL DOLLARS SPENT |
| PROJECTED DOLLARS |
| FEEDBACK FROM DISTRICTS |
| P E Y T O N W O L C O T T |
How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
| FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of education issues vital to a republic. We believe this constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., Chapter 1, Section 107 which states: the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright," the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use" you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. |
| ATTENTION EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS: Every attempt possible has been made to verify all sources and information. In the event you feel an error has been made, please contact us immediately. Thank you. |
| Copyright 1999-2008 Peyton Wolcott |
| COMMITTED Argyle ISD (TX) - here Clear Creek ISD (TX) Dew ISD (TX) - here El Paso ISD (TX) Hondo ISD (TX) - here Ingram ISD (TX) - here La Marque ISD (TX) Martins Mill ISD (TX) Plainview ISD (TX) - here Pottsboro ISD (TX) - here Snyder ISD (TX) - here Southside ISD (TX) WHERE PARENTS, TAXPAYERS, TRUSTEES ARE ASKING: Chippewa Valley SD (MI) Lake Travis ISD (TX) LA USD (CA) New York CPS (NY) Omaha PS (NB) Rochester CS (MI) Santa Cruz CPS (AZ) Water Valley ISD (TX) ___________________________ |
| Heads up to grass- roots school reform activists: Be smart, be effective By Peyton Wolcott Updated 12.02.07 |
"Walk softly and carry a big stick." -- Teddy Roosevelt "Trust but verify." -- Ronald Reagan |
| HATS OFF: Bob Rivard, The San Antonio Express-News By Peyton Wolcott Tue., Nov. 27, 2007-10 a |
| Just because you can doesn't mean you should. |
| A model for the nation: More about the San Antonio Triple Crown here How 3 major school districts in one city put their checks online . . . in 1 week! |
| U.S. ONLINE CHECK REGISTERS: 408 districts in 28 states as of today |
| H o w w e t a k e b a c k o u r c h i l d r e n ' s e d u c a t i o n: o n e p e r s o n , o n e q u e s t i o n , o n e s c h o o l a t a t i m e. |
| Read article here. |
| COPYRIGHT NOTICE When borrowing, copying, citing from this roster please remember to attribute www.PeytonWolcott.com. No one else -- governmental or public policy groups or think tanks or persons -- is compiling a comprehensive national roster. |
| ASKING YOUR DISTRICT |
| MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS (Florida) Budget: $6.8 billion Students: 400,000 Superintendent: Alberto Carvalho The 4th-largest public school district of the 15,000 in the U.S., Miami-Dade posted its check register online on January 14, 2008. Trustee Marta Perez brought this to then- superintendent Rudy Crew and the board. MONTROSE PUBLIC SCHOOLS (Michigan) Budget: $ 14 million Students: 1,900 Superintendent: Mark Kleinhans Problems reported: None. MARBLE FALLS ISD (Texas) Budget: $40.5 million Students: 4,000 Ryder Warren, superintendent "We have had absolutely no issues." Kelly Fox, trustee: "Peyton is always innovatively at the cutting edge of the promotion of school reform. This is yet one more example of her efforts to improve the quality of our schools by championing open records of our spending. As a board member I highly recommend that all districts make their spending more transparent and be accountable to the taxpayers." SPRING BRANCH ISD (Texas) Budget: $300.6 million Students: 32,000 Duncan Klussmann, superintendent "Posting our check registers online has been something that's worked for us with very minimal effort to get it up and running; I believe school districts are running moving in this direction. We try to be a very transparent district. We have a strong and supportive community, and we feel that being transparent supports that." Klussmann added that when he first came into education it was common for all checks to be included with the board packets and an approval item at board meetings. Obstacles and stumbling blocks: "Our financial software is older and DOS-based, not designed to generate reports, but once we got our first report as a model it went quickly." Special kudos: "We have a wonderful finance person, Karen Wilson, who took this on." Additional comments: "Anything we can do to take raw data as we're required to report it by the state and make it more accessible to our community is a benefit." Extra expense: None. Fallout? No increase in public records requests. "The only thing you do worry about is someone looking at something and not understanding; you'd sit down with the person and explain it to them." Goals for the future: Make the link more accessible, in fewer clicks. CLOVIS USD (California) Budget: $300 million Students: 37,000 NOTE: Clovis USD, just north of Fresno in California's fertile San Joaquin Valley farming region, may have been the first school district in the nation to put its entire check register online -- a natural next step, according to a district spokesman, as part of its move to a paperless board packet. Check register information included: Check number, payee name, dollar amount, date, account. If there are questions about checks: We'd first invite them in and try to answer their questions. Bill McGuire, CFO - We completed posting to our website our check registers over 5 years ago as the 1st part of our electronic agenda. The board, district administration and community have been very supportive of our school district's providing as much information as possible in an electronic format. DALLAS ISD (Texas) The 2nd-largest public school district in Texas. Budget: $1.7 billion Students: 158,000 Superintendent: Eliu Misael "Mike" Hinojosa Fallout: "Everything's absolutely positive, and there's been no negative fallout--we're one of the first in the state to post our check register online," said a district spokesperson. Logistics, goals for the future: "We're talking to our IT people to see if we can simplify the process so that people can go to the online check register more quickly and directly." |
| 1. Our public schools are a pure form of local government. You elect trustees to oversee your superintendent's running of the schools which are fueled by your taxes. Just because you may see clear problems including proof of illegality that does not mean your pointing these out will be welcomed by either your board or administrators with open arms. 2. Don't cold call on the board at the meeting -- call ahead, ask questions, learn what your trustees' and superintendents' concerns are. 3. Bring 50 copies of the flyer I've prepared for you (with your contact info). Please email me and I'll send you the link. 4. Correct & thorough prep saves time in the long run. 5. Everyone who has followed these steps exactly as outlined here has experienced 100% success; shortcuts lead to failure. |
| These districts below have already successfully addressed familiar concerns: software, costs, technology & privacy The following report from school districts who have already posted their |
| BIG SPRING ISD (Texas) Budget: $28.1 million Students: 3,900 Sandra Waggoner, chief financial officer "Posting our check register online really isn't any extra work; it's the same check register we give our board each month, then we just PDF it to our webmaster." Sandra is BSISD's public information officer; the district only receives 3-4 ORR's per year. "Most are not people trying to stir up something, just, 'I'm curious.' " Logistics: BSISD's bookkeeper sends a PDF file to the superintendent's secretary for TASB BoardBook, and sends a duplicate copy of the PDF file to the webmaster who uploads and creates a link so it's available for the public. Extra expense: None. Fallout? No increase in public records requests. Goals for the future: Keep each month's check registers online for one year. NEDERLAND ISD (Texas) Budget: $ 37.9 million Students: 5,100 Gail Krohn, superintendent: "I think it's important for a district to share pertinent financial information with the community and the taxpayers; that's what's important. I'm very proud of our business manager that she tries her very best to make things simple and understandable for the taxpayers of Nederland ISD." NEW CANEY ISD (Texas) Budget: $79.8 million Students: 8,700 Cindy Reynolds, secretary to superintendent/media relations: "Posting our check registers online saves us some time on generating information that people might request otherwise. This is the best way to approach it. It never occurred to us to not post this public information. When you form partnerships with your community, you have to be above reproach. We're all partners, we're all taxpayers. We have to be accountable in all areas." Fallout? "Parents and support organizations question us from time to time regarding expenditures--not that we've been questioned on how but where--and they're certainly entitled to that information." Logistics: NCISD uses TASB's BoardBook. Extra expense: None; check registers are a free feature of TASB's BoardBook. COPYRIGHT 2006-2009 PEYTON WOLCOTT |
| The most important thing about persuading your local school district to voluntarily post its check register online is the "persuasion" part. This means we remem- ber to approach them in a friendly way, with a smile rather than a stick. No demands, no strident letters to the editor. None of the folks who have tried shortcuts have succeeded. You can't email this in or demand it on your website. You can't talk to your friend the board president and assume anything will come of it. This is your opportunity to participate in your local political process. Here below is the short version; the longer more detailed version that points out most of the pitfalls and roadblocks is here. |
| Remember that Golden Rule we've heard about all of our lives? This is a good time to dust it off. When you approach your board, you're approach- ing individuals. If you go after them in an angry way, they will react as though you're calling their baby ugly and become defensive and turn your request down. Honor their humanity no matter how grumpy or sour they look or act. |
| Welcome to National HQ for the Grassroots School District Online Check Register Movement! Est. 10.01.06 |
Average of all 1,031
Texas school districts:
Texas school districts:
| General Fund per student $6,996 |
| Total Receipts per Student $12,458 |
| Total Disbursements/Student$11,374 |
| Total Expenditures/Student $10,162 |
| STATE DOE ONLINE Texas Education Agency MIDDLE EDU-LAYER CALIFORNIA Glenn County Ofc. of Ed. Placer County Office of Education MICHIGAN St. Clair County RESA HONORABLE MENTION ALASKA DOE - Checks over $1,000 CALIFORNIA San Gabriel USD - Checks over $500 MICHIGAN Intermediate School Districts PENNSYLVANIA Capital Area Intermediate Unit TEXAS Brackett ISD (checks over $500) |
This below is the short
version; if you're going to
do this, please read the
full information here; it's
your proven road map.
version; if you're going to
do this, please read the
full information here; it's
your proven road map.
| Milestones: Mar.2007 Oct.2007 4-Legged Stool |
| How to ask your district |
| CHECK REGISTER LINKS & INFO: |
| ARKANSAS (1) Marvell School District Monthly Expenses |
| CALIFORNIA (7) Acalanes Union HSD - Reg. Mtg. (A/P Warrant Register) Capistrano USD - here Clovis USD - here Emery USD - BOE - Packet Novato USD - Warrant Register Scotts Valley USD - Consent Agenda - App''ve Warrants Western Placer USD - Board Packet - Consent Agenda-Warrants |
| KANSAS (2) Olathe USD 233 - Check Journal Satanta USD 507- Check Register (formerly Check Journal) KENTUCKY (1) Lyon CS - Purchases by Vendor |
| Friends, here's our great nation's most complete list of school districts with their check registers online; it's the most comprehensive because I am still the only person in the 50 states actively searching the U.S. for more districts and working with superintendents, trustees, (continued below in NOTES) |
| NOTE: There are no dollars listed below for one reason: Only Texas can tell us actual total expenditures for all funds, etc. spent in a school year. Scroll down to Texas to see why this distinction is important, |
| ROSTER OF 408 U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH ONLINE CHECKS |
| Here's the report I have prepared for you (in printable format here) so you may see for yourself how other folks have already handled the usual concerns your district might raise. |
| How to find your district's checks If there's no direct link on the home page, try: o about us o accounts payable o approved bills o approved warrants o board of edu./BOE o business office o checks o check journal o check listing o claims docket o community news o district information o expenditures o finance o financial services o legal notices o links o monthly expenses o monthly spending report o monthly warrants o paid bills o payment register o public notices o public information o public records o required postings o school board o superintendent o technology o vendor payments o vendor check register o warrants o warrant register Also, if the district is paying for BoardDocs or TASB's BoardBook software, online check registers are a free feature, and can usually be found in the agenda packet for the most recent regular board meeting. |
COLORADO (2)
Durango School District 9-R
Voucher summary
Rangely Public Schools-Paid bills
Durango School District 9-R
Voucher summary
Rangely Public Schools-Paid bills
| ILLINOIS (39) Bond County CUSD2 Bourbonnais ESD 53 Bradley Bourbonnais CHSD Carpentersville SD 300 Cary Community CSD4 Champaign CUSD 4 Coal City CUSD 1 |
| E. Aurora SD 131 Elgin U-46* Elmhurst SD 205 Genoa-Kingston CUSD 424 Harlem USD 122 Herscher CUSD 2 Highland Park HSD 113 Huntley CUSD 158 Mahomet-Seymour CUSD 3 Mundelein CHS D120 Naperville CUSD [ / ] |
| Ottawa ESD 141 Ottawa Township HSD 140 Palatine CCD 15 Proviso Township HSD 209 Reed Custer CUSD 255 Riverside-Brookf'd HSD 208 Rock Island SD 41 Sherrard CUSD 200 |
| Niles Township CHSD 219 Oak Grove SD 68 Oak Park ESD 97 OakPark/R.For'st HSD 200 Oswego CUSD 308 |
| NOTE REGARDING ILLINOIS LAWSUIT As thrilled as I am about efforts by John Tillman and Adam Andrzejewski to bring greater transparency to Illinois public schools, I disagree with their December 2008 lawsuit against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on grounds of incompetency -- the same grounds as Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's suit -- as the success of such a suit would have paved the way for Banana Republic-type takeovers of elected officials. Fortunately, the Illinois Supreme Court has refused to hear this case. |
| IOWA (5) Boone Community SD - Board Agendas Cedar Rapids CSD - List of Paid Bills College Community SD - List of Paid Bills E. Buchanan CSD - Expenditures Iowa City CSD - Board Agendas (PDF) |
| Boone in central Iowa was home to the 2008 Farm Progress Show ('the Super Bowl of Agriculture") (middle) and also Boone CSD whose Lowell Elementary School is home to 145 K-2 students. |
| MICHIGAN (11) Bloomfield Hills CS - here Bullock Creek SD - Quarterly Chassell Township Schools - Monthly Spending Report |
| L to R: The Montrose Blueberry Festival with the 3 P's (parade, pancakes and pie) is celebrated in August, and the Frozen Blueberry 5K Run & Walk each January; Montrose Community Schools makes part of its campus available for the festival each year. In August 2007 MCS superintendent Mark Kleinhans posted his district's check register online. The two photos at right are Bloomfield Hills in summer ( the barn is part of the Bowers School Farm campus) and a local creek in winter. |
| MISSOURI (3) LiIberty PS - BoardDocs Excelsior Springs 40- BOE- Board Docs St. Charles SD - Board Docs NEBRASKA (2) Millard Public Schools - Board Packet North Platte PSD - BoardDocs - Claims |
| WISCONSIN (3) Germantown SD Novi CSD Sun Prairie SD WYOMING (1) Fremont CSD #24 (See URLs below right to copy & paste into your browser) |
| NEW MEXICO (2) Albuquerque SD- BoardBook Agenda Packet Aztec Muni SD - BoardBook - Regular meeting - Agenda Packet - Consent Agenda - Bills & Budget Rpt OHIO (1) Springboro Community CSD - Board Packet |
| OKLAHOMA (1) Oklahoma City PS - Page 12 here OREGON (1) Oregon Trail School District 46 Accounts Payable Check Listing |
| PENNSYLVANIA (7) Chambersburg Area School District - School Board - BoardDocs - Reg. Mtg. Norristown Area SD - here North Penn SD - here Penn Manor SD - here Pine-Richland School District - here Reading SD - here Saucon Valley SD - here |
| UTAH (3) Davis School District* Grand County SD Park City SD |
| (Above) North Platte HS band practice and volleyball team; (right) North Platte River. |
| Haddonfield Public Schools had been discussing increasing their financial transparency this past year when resident Jim McCormick contacted me; within a month the district's check register was online. Hats off to Jim and to the district. |
| Aztec Monument panorama (Aztec, New Mexico) (SOURCE--David T. Ratcliffe) |
| Historic Franklin County Courthouse (R) in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; please scroll down to "NOTES" at bottom for information regarding this structure during the Civil War. |
| ARE YOU GETTING THE WHOLE STORY ABOUT YOUR DISTRICT'S SPENDING? Let's look at the differences in how school spending can be reported by observing projected versus actuals Texas averages for 2006-07: This lowest number in the pink box below, $6,996, is the amount to which most districts are referring when they talk about their budgets. Generally when schools forecast for the next year they do not include grants and federal funds. When you hear superintendents talk to their school boards about having found some money in the budget for some pet project, it's often pulled from these undisclosed sources, which may represent in effect a sizeable slush fund. Look at the next figure in the blue box, the total receipts dollars -- almost twice as much. Even the total expenditures amount in the orange box is considerably higher than the projected general fund budget amount. |
| Park City School District was among the first in the nation to post its check register online -- at least as early as January 2004. It's easy to see why Park City has been long favored by Texans, superintendents and non-superintendents alike, in both winter and summer. |
| Fremont CSD 24 is located in the small town of Shoshoni, Wyoming, near the Boysen Reservoir and the Wind River Indian Reservation, home of the Shoshone and Arapaho tribes of Native Americans. |
INDIANA (1)
Richmond Community Schools- Accounts Payable V'oucher Reg.
Richmond Community Schools- Accounts Payable V'oucher Reg.
| "One of Indiana’s oldest cities.Richmond’s rich history was built on a tradition of pioneer spirit and an appreciation of nature; from the one-and-only Gennett Records Walk of Fame devoted to the music recorded in Richmond during the early 20th century to the natural wonder of the Whitewater River Gorge [photo at right]." (SOURCE--City of Richmond) |
| New Prague's online checks To connect to their checks: From the district's home page here Choose: Finance Accounts Payable Records (since at least 2005) www.np.k12.m n.us/profile/boa rd/packets.sht ml |
How to find
Starkville's check
register:
From the district's
homepage:.
www.ossd.k12.ms.us
2. Click on "School
Board" button up at
top
3. Click on
"Agenda Packet" for
the "Regular
Meeting" you're
looking for.
Choose:
C. Office of the
School Business
Administrator
I. Approval of
docket of claims
#274815-#276266
Starkville's check
register:
From the district's
homepage:.
www.ossd.k12.ms.us
2. Click on "School
Board" button up at
top
3. Click on
"Agenda Packet" for
the "Regular
Meeting" you're
looking for.
Choose:
C. Office of the
School Business
Administrator
I. Approval of
docket of claims
#274815-#276266
| NEVADA (2) Clark County SD - Purchase Orders Elko County School Dist. - BoardDocs |
| SOUTH DAKOTA (1) Mitchell School District - here |
| VIRGINIA (3) Alleghany County Public Schools - Vendor Check Register Page County Schools Roanoke County Schools |
| N O T E S |
| Please use the links to Illinois school check registers at Adam Andrzejewski's site. Curious why Illinois has so many more school districts than any other state except Texas with online check registers? Please scroll down to "NOTES / Illinois" below. |
| Richmond High School |
| During the last night (below) in the 2007 Texas Senate for the school district check register bill the Texas Public Policy Foundation helped write and advocate for, TPPF employees were away on vacation and the bill died on the floor. |
Ocean Springs
More about
Hurricane Ike
photos
Photo of the "car
underwater a few
blocks from down-
town Ocean
Springs, Missis-
sippi, during
Hurricane Ike.
Photo by the Rev.
Karen Bullock,
associate pastor
Westminster
Presbyterian
Church in Gulfport,
MS." More here:
www.pcusa.org/pcnew
s/2008/08677.htm
More about
Hurricane Ike
photos
Photo of the "car
underwater a few
blocks from down-
town Ocean
Springs, Missis-
sippi, during
Hurricane Ike.
Photo by the Rev.
Karen Bullock,
associate pastor
Westminster
Presbyterian
Church in Gulfport,
MS." More here:
www.pcusa.org/pcnew
s/2008/08677.htm
From NBC:
Hwy 90 biloxi,
heading East
towards the
Biloxi/Ocean
Springs Bridge.
(That’s the Isle of
Capri casino on
the right)
www.nbc15online.
com/ugc/cat/hurricaneikefl
ooding/69GPjgg4yEOSa
Z3aIpr-MA.aspx
Hwy 90 biloxi,
heading East
towards the
Biloxi/Ocean
Springs Bridge.
(That’s the Isle of
Capri casino on
the right)
www.nbc15online.
com/ugc/cat/hurricaneikefl
ooding/69GPjgg4yEOSa
Z3aIpr-MA.aspx
From the
Sun-Herald:
The video of
Hurricane Ike
flooding in Ocean
Springs:
http://videos.sunherald.co
m/vmix_hosted_apps/p/m
edia?id=2172758&item_in
dex=1&all=1&sort=NULL
Sun-Herald:
The video of
Hurricane Ike
flooding in Ocean
Springs:
http://videos.sunherald.co
m/vmix_hosted_apps/p/m
edia?id=2172758&item_in
dex=1&all=1&sort=NULL
| (L to R) Ocean Springs after Katrina; flooded roads after Hurricane Ike; survivor nutria/muskrat; video here. |
| John Marshall HS (R)' in Oklahoma City where the mean house price is $156,500; former OKC PS supe John Q. Porter's house, valued at $1 million. |
| How hard are you prepared to work for your cause? As hard as the paid professional education lobbyists opposing your efforts towards transparency and accountability? By Peyton Wolcott - Fri. / Dec. 26, 2008 - Updated Thurs., Jan. 1, 2009 |
| Walk softly, and carry a big stick. --Teddy Roosevelt |
More here:
http://valley.vcdh.virginia.edu/
and here:
Burnt courthouse (Civil War)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bur
ntCourtChambersburgPA1864.jpg
http://valley.vcdh.virginia.edu/
and here:
Burnt courthouse (Civil War)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bur
ntCourtChambersburgPA1864.jpg
Auto Service Technology I, II, & III
Auto Service Technology provides
theory and hands-on experience in
the repair of the modern automobile.
Preparation for the ASE certification
exam will include concentrated study
in brake systems, electrical systems,
engine performance, and
suspension and steering systems.
Auto Service Technology provides
theory and hands-on experience in
the repair of the modern automobile.
Preparation for the ASE certification
exam will include concentrated study
in brake systems, electrical systems,
engine performance, and
suspension and steering systems.
| Roanoke County Schools' Burton Academy offers the following: Auto Service Technology; Building Trades Computer Information Technology (CIT); Cosmetology; Criminal Justice; Floral Design; Digital Web Design; Game Design/ Programming; Graphic/Advertising Design; Landscaping; Machining; Masonry, more here. |
| Stage (L) for theatrical Roanoke settlement play; (R) replica of original Elizabeth II thought to have brought first settlers to Roanoke Island. |
| Fremont CSD24 Please copy one of these two URLs into your browser to view Fremont's checks. MAY 2008 http://boarddocs.c om/wy/fcsd24/Boa rd.nsf/b6d9f0d1f8 285b2c85256e740 0431d46/55c74ae a04ad816b872574 6a005bef2d/Body/ M3/attach10508det ail.pdf?OpenEleme nt AUGUST 2008 http://boarddocs.c om/wy/fcsd24/Boa rd.nsf/2e010f82a7 6b56d485256e740 0431d45/8e490a1 c8456b4ea872574 9b0055ffca/Body/ M3/Attach%204DC R81808.pdf?Open Element |
Friends, here's our
great nation's most
complete list of
school districts
(CONTINUED FROM TOP)
moms, dads and
taxpayers -- and
coaching folks through
the check register
process.
With one exception (see
Illinois above and right)
the information you find
on the only other compila-
tions appear to be old
copies of my information,
second- and third-
hand generations of it,
borrowed and outdated
data all.
Even our conservative
Texas Comptroller links
to the Texas Public Policy
Foundation's site which
as of today states that
160 Texas districts are
online -- when there are
294.
American parents and
taxpayers deserve
current information.
So often, my work with
individuals starts with
having to undo the
strident and demanding
approach many of our
wonderful friends in
conservative think tanks
have mistakenly
advocated.
It doesn't work in
business and it doesn't
work with our public
schools.
While such an approach
may appease angry
millionaire funders, it has
never persuaded a
single public school
administrator to post --
and such an approach
forgets that if our schools
are a mess it's our own
fault.
Criticizing our public
schools is like criticizing
our arms and legs;
they're our appendages.
Local public school
systems are as much a
form of local politics as
town hall and the mayor's
office, and it's up to us to
clean them up.
great nation's most
complete list of
school districts
(CONTINUED FROM TOP)
moms, dads and
taxpayers -- and
coaching folks through
the check register
process.
With one exception (see
Illinois above and right)
the information you find
on the only other compila-
tions appear to be old
copies of my information,
second- and third-
hand generations of it,
borrowed and outdated
data all.
Even our conservative
Texas Comptroller links
to the Texas Public Policy
Foundation's site which
as of today states that
160 Texas districts are
online -- when there are
294.
American parents and
taxpayers deserve
current information.
So often, my work with
individuals starts with
having to undo the
strident and demanding
approach many of our
wonderful friends in
conservative think tanks
have mistakenly
advocated.
It doesn't work in
business and it doesn't
work with our public
schools.
While such an approach
may appease angry
millionaire funders, it has
never persuaded a
single public school
administrator to post --
and such an approach
forgets that if our schools
are a mess it's our own
fault.
Criticizing our public
schools is like criticizing
our arms and legs;
they're our appendages.
Local public school
systems are as much a
form of local politics as
town hall and the mayor's
office, and it's up to us to
clean them up.
| check registers online is based on anecdotal feedback regarding their experiences. Trustees, superintendents, CFO's and other administrators and employees, all share their positive experiences. Except for the nation's largest districts, in most cases posting checks is a simple question of sorting out what's payroll and HIPAA-related then PDF'ing what's left over. Typically this takes only a few minutes and no special technology is required. Districts posting more information rather than less -- especially the reasons for checks -- report fewer questions from parents and taxpayers of the "$300 for balloons?" variety. |
FLORIDA (1)
Miami-Dade County Public
Schools - here
(Nation's 4th-largest district)
Miami-Dade County Public
Schools - here
(Nation's 4th-largest district)
| Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the nation's 4th-largest district with 400,000 students and expenditures last year of $6.8 billion, is thus far the largest district in the U.S. to post its check register online, thanks to one trustee (of 9) who has worked for years to bring transparency to her district's spending: Marta Perez. From left: Glades Middle School, Perez, former M-DCPS execs Orelia San Pedro and Rudy Crew, and Coral Gables HS student group. |
| By contrast, another hard-fought bill -- Kelly Coughlin's Religious Viewpoint Antidiscrimination Act for Texas schoolchildren over which he'd labored for at least a dozen years -- was revived and survived because not only was Kelly sitting two rows from me when I took the photo above but so also was his lobbyist, Jonathan Saenz of the Texas Free Market Foundation. Watching him in action during the 2007 Lege from my vantage point above, I would have Jonathan work for my cause in a heartbeat. To make things happen at the legislative level takes a tremendous amount of work, persistence and passion for your cause -- in short, grit, spirit and heart. So. Are you prepared to work as hard as the professional lobbyists with whom you'll be competing? Are you playing to win or going through the motions? For those not prepared to work through weekends and holidays, I suggest they find another line of work. |
| Located near the Mississippi on Arkansas' Eastern border in the fertile Delta area, Marvell (pop. 1395) is famed for its BBQ; (R) teenagers on a cotton picker came from Colorado to Marvell to help out, spruce up during Summer 2007. |
| Clovis, "Gateway to the Sierras" near Fresno in the rich San Joaquin River Valley farming region, can say that its school district was among the first in the nation to post its check register online, in early 2005; Clovis USD has 37,000 students. The city has worked to preserve its past; the old high school (above right) is now the San Joaquin College of Law, and there's an Old Town. |
| Although there's been a push in Colorado towards greater governmental fiscal transparency, as of December 2008 only two school districts' check registers were online, including Durango's. |
| Named after Kiowa Chief Satanta, the community's commercial focus is agri- cultural: wheat, corn, soy- beans, milo, sunflowers, alfalfa, cotton and cattle. The focus of these 3rd graders at right is on math. |
| Edgar Lee Masters named his Anthology after the Spoon River (left) near where he grew up in Illinois; below, Elgin U-46 transportation employees' entry in the local July 4, 2008 parade. (Bottom) Wheaton CUSD 200's Franklin MS's (R) greetings to teacher Jack Erwin in Afghanistan on Veterans Day 2008. |
| Spoon River CUSD 4 Union Grove SD 68 ValleyView CUSD 365 Waukegan CUSD 60 W. Aurora SD 129 W.Chicago CHSD 94 Westmont CUSD 201 Wheaton CUSD 200 |
NOTE: Adam lists dollars
provided by schools;
invariably these are the
lower budget forecast
numbers rather than the
dollars which actually
come in and are spent.
Adam's list also includes
colleges.
FURTHER NOTE: This is
not an endorsement of
Adam and John's lawsuit
against Illinois Governor
Rod Blagojevich.
Frustrated as Illinois
residents must be with the
widespread corruption in
their state, lawsuits such
as theirs and AG Lisa
Madigan's would have
paved the way for Banana
Republic-type takeovers of
elected officials' offices. It
is always good to be
mindful of unintended
consequences for even our
noblest impulses.
provided by schools;
invariably these are the
lower budget forecast
numbers rather than the
dollars which actually
come in and are spent.
Adam's list also includes
colleges.
FURTHER NOTE: This is
not an endorsement of
Adam and John's lawsuit
against Illinois Governor
Rod Blagojevich.
Frustrated as Illinois
residents must be with the
widespread corruption in
their state, lawsuits such
as theirs and AG Lisa
Madigan's would have
paved the way for Banana
Republic-type takeovers of
elected officials' offices. It
is always good to be
mindful of unintended
consequences for even our
noblest impulses.
| So often when folks get in touch with me although they say they want help in bringing transparency and accountability to their schools, it takes them a while to accept that what works best is not pure rationality or demands or petition drives but the friendly heart-to-heart approach. How refreshing it's been with Adam Andrzejewski (above left), who contacted me earlier this year about his petition drive to impel Illinois school districts to put their check registers online. After a few phone chats and emails with Adam and John Tillman (above right) of the Illinois Public Policy Institute they quickly changed their strategy and Adam began conducting a series of intimate talks and coffees with the results you see on the roster above. In February 2008 only four Illinois school districts were posting their check registers online; after Adam changed strategies, already there are 35 more, plus a couple of colleges. It was my pleasure to give him free use of the "School District Honor Roll" appellation. |
| MISSISSIPPI |
| ILLINOIS |
| MINNESOTA |
| PENNSYLVANIA |
| WYOMING |
Chambersburg:
The story behind the white-
columned courthouse
The story behind the white-
columned courthouse
| From a site about the Civil War hosted by the University of Virginia: |
| Photographs taken after Confederates burned the town of Chambersburg. On July 30, 1864, Confederate cavalry, under the command of General John McCausland and orders from General Jubal Early, burned Chambersburg after the townspeople refused to pay a ransom of $500,000 in currency, or $100,000 in specie. |
New Prague
Area
Schools
Area
Schools
| New Prague HS |
Starkville
| Cotton District student housing (more here) |
| Starkville school board |
| WHAT'S INCLUDED IN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT CHECK REGISTERS AND WHAT ISN'T We do not ask school districts to post payroll or HIPAA- related dollars; districts can easily post their annual payroll/stipend schedules after the budget is firmed up each summer. |
PHOTO CREDITS &
LINKS TO CHECK
REGISTERS:
I am adding photo
credits as I locate
them; for now, please
right click on any image
above that interests
you. Some photos are
themselves live links. I
am adding check
register links all the
time; please remember
that because this is
fluid information, not
static, things change
constantly as districts
redesign their
websites and the
locations where they're
posting their checks.
LINKS TO CHECK
REGISTERS:
I am adding photo
credits as I locate
them; for now, please
right click on any image
above that interests
you. Some photos are
themselves live links. I
am adding check
register links all the
time; please remember
that because this is
fluid information, not
static, things change
constantly as districts
redesign their
websites and the
locations where they're
posting their checks.
| (Please copy and paste these links in blue into your browser.) |
| The City of Greeley's checks are online --where are Greeley schools'? Maybe if somebody there asked like this? |
| The name of Adam's group is "For the Good of Illinois." More here. |
| If you'd like to see your local schools join this roster, remember to ask them in a friendly way. For too long many of us vented our righteous indignation about waste in school spending -- then wondered why we weren't received with open arms in our schools. As Pogo said, "I've met the enemy and he is us." These are our schools -- they belong to us -- just as do our towns and cities. If we're not happy with spending, it's up to us to roll up our shirt sleeves and fix it. Besides, this is a political process and nobody likes a surly politician. The approach outlined here has been 100% successful every time it's used as written. It's good to remember that we're dealing with real people, each of whom has an array of issues. |
| December 2006: Marble Falls ISD (Texas) This was the board the night I asked them to put the check register online. I followed my own advice and they said "yes" on the spot. It helped immeasurably that our superintendent is pro-transparency. |
PHOTO - Peyton Wolcott
| Texas schools are so transparent they're on two separate pages: |
| Board Report of Monthly Checks IDAHO (1) Coeur d'Alene School District 271 - Monthly Checks www.boardbook.org/apps/bbv2/temp/95DBF6DD-E221-D129-CEA5A06456D137E1.pdf |
| MINNESOTA (7) Milaca School District ISD 192 - here New Prague Area Schools ISD 721- here St. Cloud Area SD 742 - Monthly Chk.Reg. Wayzata Public Schools - BoardBook West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan ISD 197 - Accts Payable Yelloe Medicine East ISD 2910 - here |
| JAN. 2, 2009 / 7:46 a.m. CST: Friends, I'm updating this page again with new data, having found 7 more districts and 1 new state yesterday; pls. check back later today. |
| MISSISSIPPI (5) Benton County SD - here Livonia Public Schools - Bills for Paymt Ocean Springs MSD - Claims Docket Scott County SD - Claims Docket Starkville SD - Claims Docket |